Gerald Harper, who starred as the title character in the TV series Adam Adamant Lives! and on on the newspaper drama Gazette and its successor Hadleigh, died on July 2 2025 at the age of 96.
Gerald Harper was born on February 15 1929 in Barnet, Hertfordshire. He attended Haileybury and Imperial Service College. For his national service he was in the Royal Artillery. For at time he studied medicine at Cambridge University. He abandoned the study of medicine to audition for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada). He made his professional debut on stage at the London Arts Theatre. Afterwards he joined the Liverpool Repertory. He regularly appeared on the West End. He appeared in Charley's Aunt at the Globe and Free Air at the Savoy. He appeared on Broadway in Twelfth Night, Hamlet, and King Henry V. He made his film debut in an uncredited role in The Dam Busters (1955). In the late Fifties, he appeared in the movies The Extra Day (1956), Tiger in the Smoke (1956), Stars in Your Eyes (1956), The Admirable Crichton (1958), A Night to Remember (1958), The League of Gentlemen (1960), and Tunes of Glory (1960). He made his television debut in an episode of ITV Television Playhouse in 1957. He guest starred on On Stage--London, O.SS., and Skyport.
It was in 1966 that he began playing the lead character in the BBC series Adam Adamant Lives! Adam Adamant was an Edwardian adventurer who was frozen in ice by his archenemy The Face in 1903 and then revived in 1966. The show was created by Sydney Newman, who was also responsible for Doctor Who and The Avengers. Although created in response to The Saint, Adam Adamant Lives! bore a passing resemblance to The Avengers. It was in 1968 that he began playing James Hadleigh in the newspaper drama Gazette. His character proved so popular that he was retooled for the series Hadleigh, on which he was a country squire who sought to correct local injustices.
In the Sixties, he also appeared in the mini-series The Sleeper, A Man Called Harry Brent, A Game of Murder, and The Caesars. He guest starred on the shows The Return of the Old Pull 'n Push, Emergency-Ward 10, Out of This World, Harpers West One, Drama '62, The Avengers, Hancock, The Plane Makers, Love Story, No Hiding Place, Bud, BBC Sunday-Night Play, The Protectors, First Night, Ghost Squad, Gideon's Way, The Human Jungle, Public Eye, The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre, ITV Play of the Week, The Dick Emery Show, City '68, Armchair Theatre, and The Champions. He appeared in the movies The Young Ones (1961), The Punch and Judy Man (1963), Stolen Hours (1963), Wonderful Life (1964), Up Jumped a Swagman (1965) Strangler's Web (1965), and The Shoes of the Fisherman. He appeared on Broadway in Boeing-Boeing.
In the Seventies, Gerald Harper continued to appear on Hadleigh. He guest starred on Stars on Sunday, Thriller, and The Flockton Flyer. He appeared in the movie The Lady Vanishes (1979). After the Seventies he continued to appear on stage and continued to do so into the Naughts. In addition to acting, he also presented radio programmes. He presented The Sunday Affair for Capital Radio in the Seventies, and then in the 1980s he presented late Saturday afternoon shows for BBC Radio 2. In the early Naughts he presented Champagne and Roses for Talksport. He later had cameos in the TV movie The Craig Ferguson Story and an episode of Mr. Charity.
While Adam Adamant Lives! and Hadleigh remain largely unknown in the Unites States, in the United Kingdom I suspect Gerald Harper will always be best remembered as Adam Adamant and James Hadleigh. And this is with good reason. While I cannot speak for Hadleigh, he was superb as Adam Adamant. Possessed of the sort of old-fashioned charm and manners such as David Niven had, Gerald Harper was utterly convincing as the Edwardian adventurer. Of course, he played other roles beyond Adam Adamant and Hadleigh. He guest starred on The Avengers three times alone. In the 1979 version of The Lady Vanishes, he played the lawyer Mr. Todhunter. In the British TV series Thriller episode "IF It's a Man, Hang Up," he played a photographer having an affair with a younger model. In The Champions episode "The Fanatics," he played Croft, the head of the organization of the title, which is responsible for several political assassinations. Gerald Harper may always be best remembered as Adam Adamant and James Hadleigh, but he played many other roles as well.
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